Investors made up more than 11% of U.S. home purchasers in 2018, more than ever before, Realtor.com reports.
The investor purchases are the highest on record and nearly twice the levels before the 2008 housing crash. The investor interest poses a challenge for millennials and other first-time buyers who are increasingly looking to buy starter homes and are forced to compete with deep-pocketed cash buyers.
Investors are an especially powerful force at the bottom of the market, where they often pay all cash. Investors purchased one in five homes in the bottom third price range in 2018, according to the CoreLogic analysis, up 5 percentage points from the 20-year average of less than 15%.
Advertisement
Related Stories
Economics
Mortgage Rate Declines Could Boost Home Sales Following Months of Low Activity
Encouraging economic news bumped mortgage applications up by 2.6% for the week ending May 3
Affordability
American Families Are Spending a Quarter of Their Income on Mortgage Payments
The average monthly mortgage payment is up more than 9% year-over-year
Affordability
Is Fractional Homeownership Any Kind of Solution for Housing Attainability?
The imbalance between housing supply and demand is spurring some innovative options within the real estate industry
